The 35-year-old Puduraya bus terminal will finally open for operations tomorrow after undergoing massive renovations costing RM52.7mil. The opening was delayed several times due to additional work on the base of the building.

UDA Holdings Berhad managing director Datuk Jaafar Abu Hassan said the terminal is 98% ready with the exception of certain areas. He said both north-bound and intra-city buses will begin operations tomorrow.

“Bus companies and retail outlets are in the process of collecting their keys and moving from the temporary terminal at Bukit Jalil,’’ he said.

The new Puduraya terminal has three new waiting areas, one on the Mezzanine floor and two more on the first floor. There are two units of walkalators and disabled-friendly facilities.

There are 50 ticketing counters on the first floor. “We have appointed a company to develop an e-ticketing system, and they will work with the bus companies to streamline the system proper,’’ said Jaafar. He added that the e-ticketing system would incorporate the system the bus companies were currently using and that he hoped to resolve the e-ticketing problem as soon as possible.

“Once e-ticketing is enforced, we can resolve the tout problem as people can now buy tickets online and via the e-kiosk. Buses will now have to park at the depot at Jalan Galloway and they will be given a 20-minute waiting time before they can come into Puduraya to pick up passengers,’’ Jaafar said.

“They (buses) will no longer be allowed to park outside the terminal, and situations of them queuing up outside the terminal with their engines running and causing congestion will no longer happen,’’ he said.

He added contractors will be on standby on Saturday to ensure that everything goes according to plan.

Land Public Transport Commis-sions (LPTC) head of State Operations and Terminal Licensing Mohd Fuad Ahmad said there would be extra enforcement by the authorities tomorrow. “We will not tolerate touting and anyone found guilty of touting can be charged in court and fined up to RM50,000 or face a maximum jail term of two years,’’ said Mohd Fuad.

“We will go all out to catch them (touts) as our enforcement personnel will be placed in strategic places to monitor their activities,’’ Mohd Fuad said.

On the upgrading of Puduraya Hotel, which has been renamed Angkasa Express, work is expected to complete by June.

KUALA LUMPUR: After two postponements, the Puduraya Terminal is now fully operational, with only a minor glitch in the yet-to-be completed lighting and air-conditioning systems.

“This is the first day of operation. We are still in the trial-and-error stage. Only minor technical glitches need to be addressed,” UDA Holdings Bhd managing director Datuk Jaafar Abu Hassan told reporters after inspecting the terminal here yesterday.

“All improvement works will hopefully be completed this month, but other facilities are ready and fully operational,” he added.

With the opening of the Puduraya Terminal, the temporary bus terminal operations in Bukit Jalil have ceased.

The Puduraya Terminal was closed for renovations on March 1, 2010. It was slated to be reopened in December 2010, but was postponed until March 1 this year.

The reopening was postponed a second time before it was finally reopened yesterday.

Jaafar said the upgrade had equipped the Puduraya Terminal with 296 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, installed at strategic points.

The CCTVs would be monitored by 48 security staff to ensure safety to visitors.

Bus operations at the terminal began at 6am.

By 11.30am, 146 buses were reported to have departed from the terminal, Jaafar said.

He said UDA Holdings planned to enforce the use of e-ticketing for buses to overcome the problems of ticket touts at the terminal.

A check by Bernama found several shops back in business as visitors thronged the terminal as early as 6am. However, lifts and escalators are not yet accessible to the public.

Several commuters and workers at the terminal yesterday voiced their satisfaction with the improvements made to the premises.

A snack shop assistant, 25-year-old Hami­matun Hassan said the terminal was now more comfortable with its air-conditioned waiting area.

“This place used to be hot and reeked of exhaust smoke. Now, even if the weather outside is hot, we are comfortable inside,” she said.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Puduraya terminal resumed operations on April 16 after undergoing extensive renovations that took almost a year.

UDA Holdings Bhd managing director Datuk Jaafar Abu Hassan said all inter-city buses and express buses that were northbound would resume their services at Puduraya.

He added that the keys to the ticket counters have already been given to the respective bus companies prior to the opening.

Henceforth, the temporary terminal at Bukit Jalil would be closed to facilitate the transferring of bus services back to the Puduraya terminal.

Jaafar said the renovations would provide a more comfortable environment to the public with new facilities installed. Among them, a larger and more comfortable waiting area, escalators, new lifts and washrooms while also featuring disabled-friendly facilities.

Jaafar added that operations at the ticket counters located on the first floor would be more systematic.

He also said the food court and praying area on the fourth floor has been renovated to accommodate up to 400 people.